Monthly Archives: December 2008

On this last day of 2008, we wanted to look back at the incredible year that we had to not only remind ourselves of what we managed to accomplish this year from the momentum we built at the end of 2007, but also to recap the highlights for those of you out there who joined the movement at various times during the year and didn’t get a chance to see it. So here goes:

NEW YEARS EVE 2007 IN LAS VEGAS

Kanye West performing live at the Palms, New Years Eve 2007

To celebrate the whirlwind success of Shutter Shades after the company’s launch in September, the Shutter Shades Crew and their closest friends brought in the new year in Las Vegas with one of the greatest performers on earth – Kanye West. Having seen Jay-Z perform the night before, the crew found no better way to bring in the new year than by watching the man who helped re-popularize the shutter shades style do what he does best and coundown the end of the year.

BREAD & BUTTER BARCELONA, JANUARY 2008

Crowds gathered all day each of the three days at Bread & Butter Barcelona.

Shutter Shades officially went international in January 2008 at the Bread & Butter Trade Show in Barcelona, Spain. We made the 14 hour flight from L.A. to Barcelona with the goal of taking over the world in three days. We came. We saw. We conquered. Stories of the trip in itself are worth its own book, so we’ll spare all the details. Check out the Bread & Butter photo galleries here.

Shutter Shades made it’s official U.S. retail launch in February at the Project trade show in Las Vegas. We made a huge splash in those three days that reminded us a lot of the Barcelona experience. More Shutter Shades fanatics swarming for photos of them in Shutter Shades and a chance to meet the guys behind it. We also got the attention of attendees such as Christian Audigier (above), Lauren Conrad, Nikki Hilton, Lil Jon, Dallas Austin, and everyone’s favorite, Snoop Dogg, each of whom walked away with Shutter Shades at their request. Check out some of the photos from Project here.

EVENTS, 2008

Shutter Shades stayed visible primarily through the events that we were able to be a part of. From the Sundance Film Festival to the Emmys to all of the parties and events we sponsored and hosted in Los Angeles and internationally, we stayed busy promoting the brand…and partying! It’s almost time for our accountants to expense all of the drink tabs from these nights…check out the flyers of some of the events here.

KANYE WEST GLOW IN THE DARK TOUR, MAY 2008

In May, we joined the Kanye West Glow in the Dark tour as a merchandise item. If you were able to see one of the sold out shows, you’ll know that the concert was amazing, as Kanye West solidified himself as one of the world’s best entertainers. Every night on the tour he gave every ounce of energy he had to put on a show and he took the audience on a journey through his mind and life. It was awesome and rewarding to see audiences full of people wearing Shutter Shades as he performed.

We released a lot of HOT items this year. The slants, the trons, the clear edition, the glow in the dark edition (above), the Far East Movement edition, the 3-D Shutter Shades and the ever popular Shutter Shades 2.0 edition. We also linked up with New Era to collaborate on a Shutter Shades New Era cap and in the fall we released possibly our most popular item, the Barack Obama Shutter Shades tee.

On September 14th, we celebrated our one year anniversary as an official brand. To celebrate, we threw huge bashes in Las Vegas and Los Angeles where we gave many of the guests in attendance Shutter Shades. It goes without saying that these parties were definitely the parties to be at.

To sum it all up, 2008 was a pretty good first year for us at Shutter Shades Inc. We want to thank EVERYONE out there in the world who have repped us and supported us and the Shutter Shades movement. Yes, it is a movement. We’re not just selling you a product. We’re inviting you to join a movement we’re leading, one that encourages self-expression and style and unity through both. People still go crazy for these shades. People still get them stolen from them all the time. People can’t get enough of them, collecting them in every color and style. People still treat us like rock stars when they see us in them. You know the feeling if you’ve ever worn them in public. We plan to be around for a long time. Shutter Shades are already a pop culture iconic item and will be forever, we’ll make sure of that. We’re taking it one day and one year at a time. We won’t stop until Shutter Shades are the most iconic shades ever made. Watch out Ray Ban Wayfarer.

In 2009, we plan to bring you more behind the scenes photos, interviews, and videos than ever before. We feel that it’s important to let you see what goes on when building a global brand. We were able to do that this year through the blog, but next year this will be one of our top priorities – delivering behind the scenes content so that you can grow with us.

Mysto & Pizzi remixing Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" with the help of some Shutter Shades.

Mysto & Pizziare two up and coming producers, ages 21 and 22, hailing out of Queens, New York, who are quickly establishing a name for themselves in the world of Pop and R&B music. Their first major placement was on R. Kelly’s “Double Up” album ( track “Get Dirty feat. Chamillionaire”) which debuted at 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned the production duo their first Platinum Plaque.

In the amazing and hilarious video clip above, they are working on a remix to Kanye West’s smash single “Love Lockdown” with the aid of Shutter Shades. Who says you can’t be productive while wearing these? Shout out to Mysto & Pizzi for this cool video and we wish them continued success in the music industry. They are currently working on and have pending placements with Wynter Gordon (Atlantic), Casely (Epic), Jordyn Taylor (Interscope) and Cassie (Badboy).

The 2nd annual Shutter Shades holiday party was a success on many fronts. Despite the usual Hollywood party politics of long lines and ruthless doormen to begin the night, the people who made it in (which were a LOT considering the place was packed) were in for a treat. The Shutter Shades Crew once again celebrated the company’s incredible year in style, handing out Shutter Shades from a Santa bag to most of the partygoers. Jupiter Rising and Hypercrush put on awesome sets and Ricky Rocks worked magic on the drums throughout the night. VJ Michael Benz worked the crowd and let them know often who’s party it was by giving Shutter Shades shout outs and introducing the groups. With all of the partying out of the way, the Shutter Shades Crew and Shutter Shades Inc are looking forward to a promising 2009.

Look for the Hypercrush edition Trons coming in January 2009. Click on the above photo of Hypercrush to view photos from the night, courtesy of The King Lion.

To celebrate an incredible year of conquering the world one face at a time, Shutter Shades Inc is throwing a 1 Year Anniversary Holiday bash at the hottest night spot in Hollywood, Kress. It will be hosted by the Shutter Shades Crew and their favorite Hollywood VJ, Michael Benz. DJ IMG will be rocking the crowd and specially invited friends Hypercrush and Jupiter Rising are coming out to perform. There will be free Shutter Shades giveaways all night to partygoers to celebrate the occasion so if you’re in or near Southern California, this is the event to be at. If you want to attend, send an email to shuttershades@gmail.com to be put on their guestlist.